Ouran Reality Show: Battle For the Heart of Haruhi
by Here Be Dolphins
Summary: The host club members and some other friends are called to take part in a reality tv show. Eight of the male characters are now competing for Haruhi's love. Who will win? Classified with just Haruhi so as not to give anything away.
1. This Is Where We Start

**A/N: This will be my first Ouran fanfic, and it takes place after the festival where the anime ends. Please be gentle, though constructive criticism is fine.**

Haruhi Fujioka had more or less gotten used to entertaining other women under the disguise of being a man. It didn't even really have that much to do with her debt anymore. She loved the host club. She loved the other members and the girls that frequently asked for her.

She loved Honey-senpai's childish nature, and Mori-senpai's quiet ways. She loved how Kaoru and Hikaru would try to play tricks on people and how Hikaru would always be just a little meaner. She loved Kyoya-senpai's hidden kindness. She had even come to love Tamaki-senpai's "fatherly doting" (though she'd be damned if she ever admitted such a thing). Even Renge's fangirling was acceptable in her life.

She was content. She had a place where she could feel like she truly belonged and was wanted. She had heard her father talking to her mother's picture quietly and telling her that some nice people where taking care of their daughter and so she didn't need to worry.

So, let's see how this manages to come completely unraveled with an email.

Haruhi was surprised when the phone she'd been given by the twins blinked signaling an email had been sent.

_Rich people have internet on their phones too, I guess…_ she thought before opening it.

It was from a popular Japanese TV station. It said she was wanted to participate in a reality television show.

She would have thought it was sent to the wrong address if not for the fact that it specifically requested Haruhi Fujioka.

After a few more emails and a call on her home phone, she was given an appointment at the TV station and told she'd be picked up for it, despite her attempts to turn them down.

She sighed. _I guess I can just turn them down in person, then… _she thought. Damn rich people never listened to anyone, did they?

**[insert line]**

On the day of her appointment, she was taken to the station and brought to a conference room where she was a bit surprised to see several familiar faces.

On one side of the table was Kyoya Ootori, Tamaki Suoh, Ritsu Kasadona, and Umehito Nekozawa. On the other side was Hikaru and Kaoru Hitachiin, Mitsukuni Haninozuka, and Takashi Morinozuka.

At the head of the table was a man she'd never seen before who introduced himself as "Yoshino". Apparently he was in charge here.

"Um…why are my schoolmates here?" Haruhi asked.

"Ah, simple. They are the rest of the cast for the show!" Yoshino explained.

"But isn't it a bit unbalanced with their being only one woman and an uneven number of people?" Kyoya asked him. "Perhaps you should have invited Renge…No. Forget that. Maybe it's best you didn't."

"Agreed," both the twins said.

"Well, you see, the entire point of this show is for their to only be one girl," Yoshino went on. "Because there will be eight men whom are all her friends competing for her love!"

There was a brief silence before all nine of the high school students chorused one collective "What?".

"Ah, yes, a reality show, where friends must fight each other and all for the love of a fellow schoolmate, Haruhi Fujioka!" he said with a dramatic flair.

_Yeah, with this guy around, Renge won't be missed, _they all thought dully.

"Hold on, I haven't even agreed to do this show yet!" Haruhi protested.

"No one's signed anything just yet," Kyoya told her.

"Right! Don't worry about a thing, though!" Yoshino assured everyone, pulling out a contract. "I've got the contract right here! It will be filmed during your summer break, so there's no need to worry about interfering with school or anything!"

"We'll do it!" the twins said, with mischievous grins. "Because Haruhi is our dear classmate!" They signed the contract one after the other.

Tamaki twitched slightly. "H-hey! I can't let my daughter be at the mercy of those unscrupulous twins!"

After watching a quick "Tamaki's Mind Video" of Haruhi being harassed, he also signed before turning to Kyoya and saying, "Hey, Mom! You have to help protect our daughter, too!"

_They're all…quite close…_ Yoshino thought with a sweatdrop.

Kyoya thought about it for a moment. "Well…if we can work in commercials that advertise the Ootori Group, than I'm fine with it."

"Yes, yes, I thought you might say so," Yoshino nodded, pointing to a section of the contract that stated them being able to all chose what was advertised during the commercial breaks.

The cynical boy studied all of the contract and then shrugged. "I see no reason why I shouldn't take part in this. As you said, it's filmed during our break, so it shouldn't interfere with anything." He signed his name also.

Kasadona knew that this was probably the only chance he'd ever get to win Haruhi's heart, so he quickly signed next.

"Hey, Takashi, it sounds like fun, huh?" Honey asked.

Mori nodded silently and looked at him as though asking 'Do you want to try?', which Honey responded to with a nod and signed the paper before Mori did.

Nekozawa turned to Yoshino. "Will there be enough darkness there?" he asked.

"You can keep your room as dark as you'd like, and you'll be allowed to wear that cloak, if you must," he replied.

After a moment more of deliberation, the occult boy also signed, and the only one left was Haruhi, whom all eyes turned towards.

She sighed. "If I refuse, you'll all just annoy me, right?"

"That's the spirit," Kyoya said mockingly.

"Che! Fine…" she read the contract thoroughly before hesitantly signing her name.

"Wonderful!" Yoshino said. "Now, you'll all be transported to the mansion directly from your last day of school, so make sure you pack everything to go and bring it with you!"

After a bit more discussion, they all filed out besides for Haruhi, who wanted to talk to the manager a bit more.

"Yoshino-san," she began, "I signed because they would never let me refuse, but I'm not sure this is the time in my life where I want to concern myself with commitment."

Yoshino smiled at her. "That doesn't have to be a concern. Most of the couples born from shows like these don't last long if at all. Think of it as…a chance to get to know your friends better and see if…maybe one of them is your type."

"When you put it that way, it makes sense, but isn't there going to be an elimination process?"

Seeing where she was headed, Yoshino interjected, "I understand that you don't want to hurt anyone's feelings, Fujioka-san, but the way I saw you and the others interact, I don't think that would be a problem. You're all so close that I don't think it could ruin what you have."

Haruhi thought for a moment, before bowing respectfully and taking her leave, saying her goodbyes to him.

**[insert another line]**

"Hey, Kyoya," Tamaki said to his friend, "isn't there a reason you agreed so easily to the conditions without asking anything else in your favor to be added?"

"I could say the same for you, Tamaki," Kyoya replied. "Usually you would stop Haruhi from agreeing in the first place, right?"

The blond narrowed his eyes slightly. "I just knew everyone else would make her go and I didn't want to leave her alone. Just know that you'll need my approval to date my daughter!"

The raven haired boy clicked his tongue. "You're still telling yourself that's the way you feel?" he asked incredulously. "I have my own reasons, and my father has expressed a liking of her. If I can have someone whom I both desire and is accepted by my family, I see no reason not to do this."

"PAPA WON'T ALLOW IT!" Tamaki screamed shrilly. His own father had expressed similar views to Kyoya's, but Tamaki had laughed it off saying that she was his 'daughter', though he was starting to wonder if that was really the case.

**[more glorious line stuff]**

"Hey, Kaoru," Hikaru said as they rode back to their manor in a car that cost more than a normal house, "this is just for fun…right?"

Kaoru smiled at his brother. "You can decide that, Hikaru. I'm only going to support you. I don't have that kind of interest in Haruhi."

"But we won't get eliminated at the same time, and I couldn't bare being without you, Kaoru!" the elder said, cupping his twin's face in his hands.

"Don't worry," the younger said, wrapping his arms around the other, "you know I'll always belong to only you, Hikaru. My heart and my body…"

There was a loud coughing from the front as the chauffer who had been listening to them choked on his coffee.

They both grinned and said, "Everything okay?" in unison.

"F-fine…" came the man's voice.

_You'd think he'd be used to it by now…_

**[this line can jump through space and take us places]**

"Takashi, now we're rivals, okay?" Honey said his smile turning into a cute determined face. "Don't go easy on me, because I won't go easy on you!"

Mori nodded. "Got it."

Honey smiled wide. "Awesome! Now, let's go have cake! CAKE!"

**[warping line again]**

"Onii-chama!" Kirimi Nekozawa said, pulling at Umehito's cloak. "Where'd you go? Kirimi looked everywhere for you."

Her big brother picked her up and whispered, "Onii-chama will soom be going on a journey. A long and treacherous one where he must obtain a pure maiden's heart."

The little girl's eyes shown. "Ooooh! Kirimi wants to go!"

"No. Kirimi must stay here and study the moon phase chart," he told her. "If you do, Onii-chama will make you a special treat, okay?"

The child nodded happily. "OK!"

**[and space jump line!]**

"What's with the chief?" asked one of the men of Kasanoda-gumi.

"He is…going to fight for the girl he loves!" Tetsuya Sendo announced importantly.

And this turned into one of their frequent "Let's Give The Chief Chick Pointers" nights.

_These happen way too often… _Ritsu thought grimacing.

**[and now the line can also jump through time AND space]**

Later that night, Haruhi mentioned the whole thing to her father in a casual tone, expecting him to freak out.

She was very surprised when he simply patted her on the head and said, "Go for it, Haruhi-chan."

"Um…thank you, Otou-san."

He smiled at her. "Don't get me wrong; I don't like this idea one bit, but you're like your mother in that way…You won't let me tell you that you can't. But I trust your judgment. I just worry about you."

"Otou-san…I'll be fine. They're all my friends after all."

"Yes. That they are. When do you leave?"

"Saturday right after school. Why?"

"GYAAAH! YOU HAVE TO PACK YOUR CUTEST CLOTHES RIGHT AWAY AND MAKE A LIST OF THINGS YOU NEED AND…"

Haruhi sighed but smiled. He wouldn't be her father if he didn't do this, she supposed.

She wondered what this show would turn out…

**A/N: That's the first chapter. I'll try to update at least once a week, maybe more for the time being. Leave a review?**


	2. And So It Begins

**A/N: Well, a few people put this on their review list, so I guess you all want more, huh? And thanks to Sebastian's Servant Felicia and loves2readandwrite (who was not signed in). The second chapter is here. It takes place on the Saturday after the first. So, it's time to start the show.**

The days after the show had been decided were fairly normal days, besides for Ranka-san freaking out about how Haruhi needed more "cute clothes". Though that wasn't _so _uncommon lately either.

Finally, Saturday came. The school day was mostly filled with the students telling each other what they were planning to do over summer break and the teachers issuing a bit of homework to "keep their minds fresh", knowing that most of them were just going to do it at the last minute and Google all of the answers anyway.

The nine students who were to be participating in the show over the break were all approached by people who led them to very fancy cars (for Haruhi they were, for the others they were pretty standard) to take them to the mansion that the show would take place in.

When they arrived, Haruhi looked at it and sighed. It was gigantic. Way too big. And Western styled to top it off. Seriously, there was no way they'd ever need every room in a place this big for just nine people, even with a camera crew.

When she voiced this thought, Kyoya told her that according to the contract, there was no camera crew. There were instead hidden cameras placed everywhere throughout the place besides in the bathrooms.

"Then there's even _more _unnecessary room!" Haruhi said a bit irritably. Stupid rich people always having to show off!

"Ah! Welcome, everyone! Ohohohoho!" said an all-too familiar voice.

They all turned to look blankly at Renge, with an expression that read clear as day, "Why are you here?"

She explained before they got to actually ask, however.

"Welcome to "Haruhi's Heart Contest"! I am your host, Renge Houshakuji! And let me explain to everyone exactly how this show will work.

"This entire show is split into parts. Each elimination will end the previous part. Eliminations will take place every four days. For the first four sections, everyone will get one date with Haruhi during that section.

"When only four contestants remain, they will all get two dates before the elimination so that it may become easier for Haruhi to chose."

"Alternately, that could make it even harder…" the brunette in question grumbled.

"And then, when only two remain, Haruhi will be given an entire 24 hour vacation with one and then the other, and then the third day will be her deliberation day!

"On the last day, she will chose the winner of the Haruhi's Heart Contest!"

After that explanation, they were all whisked away to the rooms that were given to them and told about the rules of the game, which stated that they weren't allowed to leave the grounds unless they were on a date, and that none of the men were allowed to enter Haruhi's room under any circumstances.

"So, Haruhi-chan," Renge said to the girl, "time to get ready!"

"R-ready? For what?"

"We're having a barbeque by the pool out back so that today could just be a 'taking it easy' day. So, get in your bathing suit!"

"Ah. I don't know if I packed one…" she said, digging around in her bag.

The otaku laughed. "You won't need any of those clothes! The television station is fully supplying your wardrobe for the show!" To prove her point, she opened the enormous walk-in closet that was about the size of Haruhi's entire bedroom at her house.

_Damn rich people, _she thought as she allowed Renge to pick out a swimsuit for her.

The guys changed fairly quickly and were all gathered at the pool.

Tamaki had grudgingly agreed to the rule that they were all allowed to hit on Haruhi without interference from each other.

This at least made it more fair and meant that Tamaki couldn't interrupt under his usual "that's my daughter" grounds, so everyone else had been all for it.

Nekozawa was sitting under a small tent with his cloak pulled tightly around him. It was way too bright out here for his tastes, so he relished in what little darkness could be found.

Honey was dangling his legs by the side of the pool with Mori watching him close by to make sure he didn't fall in.

Tamaki and Kyoya were playing a game of Othello (which the former was losing horrendously at), while Kasanoda sat fidgeting slightly, glancing at the door every now and then waiting for Haruhi to arrive.

The Hitachiin twins were off by themselves, analyzing their competition.

"Well, the most competition should come from Kyoya and our lord," Kaoru whispered to his twin.

"Provided our lord can realize that in the first place," Hikaru added. "But what would happen if it just came down to us?"

"Then I'd tell her to pick you," the younger said as though it were obvious.

"Huh?"

"I said before, I'm only here to support you, Hikaru. I don't feel that way about Haruhi. Whether or not _you _do is for you to figure out."

"This is…a game though. That's all it would be."

Just then, the door to the house opened and Haruhi was pushed outside by Renge wearing an orange and yellow stripped bikini.

"Ah…Hey," she said awkwardly as she felt everyone's eyes on her.

"Haru-chan! Haru-chan!" Honey called to her. "Let's get in the water! I was waiting for you!"

"Ah, you know I'm not a fan of swimming Honey-senpai," she said. "I'll sit by the edge, okay?"

Accepting her response, Honey put on his swimmies and jumped in.

"H-Haruhi!" Tamaki called, running over to her. "Don't go in the sun without applying sunscreen!"

"Eh? Oh, I already put it on before coming out. But I couldn't get my back…"

"I'll do it!" the blond insisted, pulling her over to a lounging chair.

She smiled slightly. "Thank you, senpai." She called back to Honey, "I'll be right back!"

She layed with her stomach down on the chair and let Tamaki start rubbing the lotion on her, his face reddening slightly.

He thought maybe he should try to give her a massage along with it, but stopped when he heard a loud "Ow!"

"H-huh? Are you okay? Did I hurt you? PAPA'S SORRY, HARUHI!"

The brunette rolled her eyes. "It's fine. You just pressed way too hard on my shoulder. And I think you've got it all in." She got up. "Thanks though, senpai," she said going back to sit by the water's edge where Honey was happily splashing around with Mori who had joined him.

"Maybe this won't be so bad, since everyone's having fun…" Haruhi murmured to herself.

Suddenly, she had someone sitting down on either side of her.

"You should have fun too," they both said.

"Ah, you too," she sighed looking back and forth between Hikaru and Kaoru who had made themselves comfortable beside her. "It's just a lot and very sudden."

"Then, you should have some fun today…" Kaoru began.

"…to take your mind off of it," his twin finished.

And with that, she felt two hands on either side of her push her into the pool.

When she came up, sputtering slightly she glared at them while they grinned at her before jumping in as well.

"Heeeey! Everyone get in the pool!" Honey called loudly. "We can play 'Marco-Polo'!"

"No. I'm getting out," Haruhi said, swimming over to the ladder.

"But, but you're already in! Can't you at least play _once_?" he gave her his puppy eyes.

Everyone else besides Nekozawa, who had only come a little closer but was still in the safety of the shade had already gotten in, so Haruhi sighed. "Fine. Nekozawa-san! Since you're not playing, make sure the person who's 'Marco' doesn't cheat!"

He nodded and gave a creepy grin. All cheaters shall be cursed for eternity, then."

Tamaki 'eep"ed and hid behind Kyoya, who rolled his eyes which were not hidden behind his glasses as they normally were. He opted for contacts for the time in the pool.

They played a few rounds and had a lot of fun. They tried not to think of today as part of the competition, but some of the guys did small things to try to win points with Haruhi, like offering her a towel, getting her a drink, things like that.

Haruhi, being who she was, didn't think much of it however and just enjoyed everyone's company until it was declared by Renge that everyone would have to go to their rooms now.

The room assignments were like so…

Haruhi of course got her own room and the biggest one, which she wanted to protest about, but knew it would be pointless.

The Hitachiin twins were put together because the people who did the rooms figured they'd want that anyway.

Mori and Honey were also together, which also made sense.

Haruhi wondered vaguely if someone had a grudge against Tamaki when she realized he was put with Nekozawa.

And that left Kasanoda and Kyoya. They'd likely leave each other alone for the most part, so no worries there.

"So, Haruhi," Renge said, having come to check on her before leaving for the guest house, which she got all to herself, "the first cycle starts tomorrow! You get two dates!"

"Who with?" she asked.

"Tsk, tsk. Sorry, but I'm not allowed to tell. Just get some rest, okay?"

"Yeah, yeah," Haruhi sighed, laying down as Renge left.

_Tomorrow, the real show will begin…_

**A/N: So, yeah. This is mainly a chapter to get acquainted with how it'll work. I'll make a separate chapter for each date and a chapter for each elimination. Like I said, I'll be updating as often as possible, so check for new chapters or put it on your review list if you want more. Reviews are always welcome. See ya next time!**


	3. Pillow Fights and Fortresses

**A/N: I got a large spam of emails of people who put this on either their favorite story or story alert list. Thanks to all of you. And also thanks to Sebastian's Servant Felicia, loves2readandwrite, and chalek4ev for reviewing. You're all awesome.**

**And, now, here is the next chapter.**

The next day in the dining room at breakfast, Renge came in to announce the first date Haruhi would be having later that morning.

"Who is it?" Tamaki asked, a bit less alert than he would normally be for he hadn't gotten much sleep thanks to being in a room with Nekozawa.

"Well, we put all of your names into a randomizer, and the first date goes to Kaoru-kun," she said. **(1)**

Tamaki immediately started pouting, which earned him a smirk from the younger twin. "Don't worry, Lord. I won't do anything Haruhi doesn't _want_ me to do," he assured him.

"What is _that _supposed to mean?" Haruhi sighed.

"Well, for the first cycle, all dates have to take place on the mansion grounds," Renge told them, "so Karou-kun, you have until 10:00 to decide on where you're taking Haruhi-chan. There are plenty of interesting places here, and there's a map in the main hall. Haruhi-chan, you should get ready as soon as you're done eating."

The brunette blinked. "I _am _ready, though."

Renge sighed and shook her head. "No, You have to get dolled up, right?"

She shrugged. "I don't see the point if we're not even going out."

"Haru-chan is so pure and naive," Honey giggled.

Kaoru waved a hand. "It doesn't matter to me, really. Just look however you want."

"Come on, at least put something nice on!" Renge said, dragging Haruhi to her room.

**[insert line that time jumps to 10:00]**

Kaoru knocked on Haruhi's room door. "Haruhi, you ready?"

She opened it only a few second after. Renge had insisted that even if she didn't wear a dress or a skirt, she wore cute white shorts and an orange tank top with a few barrettes in her hair.

"Yeah. Where are we going?"

He grinned. "It's a secret~!" he sing-songed.

"Lead the way, I guess then," she said.

Kaoru led Haruhi to a huge bedroom that hadn't been assigned to anyone. It was the only spare.

"Why are we- mmph!" she was cut off when a pillow hit her in the face.

When she threw it to the ground, her glare was met with a playful grin and she just shook her head. "A pillow fight? Really?"

"Well, that was actually just for fun. I wanted to make a pillow and blanket fort."

Haruhi just stared for a moment then laughed. "I haven't done that since I was in elementary school! It'll be nostalgic. Sure!"

Then they went to work making their "impenetrable fortress", interrupted only by the occasional brief pillow fights.

When they were finally done, it looked like a huge jumbled mess, but that was fine, because it meant only the ones who built it knew where it would let them inside if they lifted the blanket, and where they would just come face to face with more blankets and pillows.

"Now all we need is soda, chips and comic books," Haruhi said.

"Eh? What do we need those for?" Kaoru asked her.

"It's not a real fort unless it's got at least that much!" she said matter-of-factly.

He just stared at her blankly for a moment before laughing. "I guess you know more than I do. I never made on of these before. I just heard it was a fun past time for commoners, so I thought you'd enjoy it."

"You've _never _made a pillow fort?" the brunette asked incredulously.

"I never really got the point. I mean, shouldn't a fort be stronger so people can't get in?"

"That's why you protect your fort, though! Because it's not so impenetrable. I'm going to get some soda. I'll be right back," she said, crawling out.

**[time skip line to when she returns with a six pack of Cola]**

"I'm back, Kaoru," she said, going to lift up the blanket, only to find resistance. "Hmm?"

"Speak the password and enter," Kaoru said from inside as he held the blanket down.

"We didn't agree on a password!" she protested.

"How do I know you're really Haruhi, then?" he asked teasingly.

"Because why else would I be here saying I am?"

"Sorry, but I can't be sure."

She sighed then got a slightly playful glint in her eyes. "If I have to, I'll storm the fortress," she warned him.

"I am fully prepared for invasion!" he replied.

Haruhi laughed softly and then stepped back before running into the fort and knocking all the pillows asunder. She somehow got tangled in a blanket and fell down.

Next thing she knew, there was Kaoru grinning down at her. "You're not very good at storming places if you manage to get yourself caught like that," he said.

"Hush," she said, sitting up. "Well…it was nice while it lasted."

"Yeah, it was nice to do this," the carrot top agreed, taking a Cola and opening it. "It wasn't much of a date, I guess…"

"That's okay. It was still a lot of fun. It's repaying me for the time you got sick and Hikaru had to take your place."

"Ahaha. Yeah. That works." A moment of silence passed before he spoke again, "About Hikaru…I want you to know that if you ever had to chose between us, I'd want you to chose him."

"Hmm?" She asked.

"Hikaru is still childish when it comes to feelings, but he's changing. We've both changed since we've met you. He just doesn't realize it yet, though."

"Kaoru…"

"So, if he were able to spend more time with you, maybe he'd notice and be able to keep changing, is all I'm thinking."

"Ah! I get it!" Haruhi said, slapping her fist and palm together. "I'll try my best to help, then," she nodded.

He smiled and hugged her. "Thanks, Haruhi. You know, I used to think I loved you."

"Eh?" she asked, dropping the can of Cola she was in the process of opening, causing it to get shaken up so she'd need to take a different one.

He laughed. "Is it that shocking?"

"A-anyone would be shocked if you suddenly said that!" she insisted.

"Maybe. But that's not what it is. To me, Haruhi is like a sister and a good friend. Now that I know that, I can let my brother go after you without any bitterness."

"Man, you're complicated, Kaoru. But I guess that's what makes you who you are."

"Everyone is more complicated than they seem. That's how people are."

"I guess that's true…Say, what time is it?"

"Hell if I know," he shrugged.

"We're supposed to be in the dining room at 12:30 for lunch. You know if we're even one second late…"

As if on cue, Tamaki's voice could be heard screaming nearby, "THEY'RE LATE! WHAT IF SOMETHING HAPPENED?"

"We should go before he finds us and gets the wrong idea…" Haruhi sighed, standing and offering a hand to help Kaoru up.

When they walked out, the paranoid blond was running down the hall and saw them. "Oh! Here you are! Did something happen? Wait…Wh-why were you in a bedroom?" his face paled.

"Oh, you know, a little of this and that, my lord," Kaoru said with a Cheshire cat grin. "Nothing Haruhi said no to, though."

The brunette in question groaned. It was going to be a long day now.

**A/N: And thus ends another chapter, bringing the first "date" to a close. The next chapter will take place later the day this one did for the second date.**

**(1) : That is legit how I'm choosing the order. Through a randomizer. Can you tell that I'm making this whole thing up pretty much as I go?**

**I'll update soon, so be sure to stay with me. And leave a review. Reviews are my motivation to continue the story.**


	4. A Peaceful Picnic

**A/N: I'm sorry this took so long, but my mind was in constant Procrastination Mode! For those of you who all added this story to your watches/favorites, thank you very much! And a big thanks to Jenn Habel, when the stars go out, talon dreamer, Lillywarrior, HitachiinGirl1, and loves2readandwrite for reviewing!**

**Here is the next chapter, without further ado!**

Tamaki was annoying through lunch about how Kaoru had done unspeakable things to his daughter until Haruhi shot him a glare that could have put Kyoya's icy gaze to shame.

Then he just grew mushrooms in the hallway closet, which no one paid much attention to besides a confused look from Kasanoda.

As lunch drew to a close, Renge came into the room and got everyone's attention, telling them it was time for the next date to begin.

Tamaki was back in the room at the speed of light. "Who has her this time?" he asked, obviously praying it would be him.

"Mori was chosen this time," Renge said, not noticing as Tamaki deflated like a balloon and went to his corner. "It starts in 15 minutes. Get ready~"

Mori stood up and went to the main hallway to take a look at the map of the mansion that had been put up there for the convenience of being able to know everything the place had to offer.

"Haruhi, let's go brush your hair!" Renge said, pulling the other girl back to her room.

"Renge-chan, my hair is fine," Haruhi insisted. "It's not a big deal to look perfect to me, you know?"

"I know, but I just wanted to talk to you. About the first date you had! We didn't get a chance to discuss it!"

"Oh…" Haruhi thought for a moment. "It was fun, I guess. We played and joked. I don't usually get to spend time alone with just Kaoru, so it was a change."

"Hmm…I see…Well, I've been waiting to ask, but I can't anymore; which guy here do you like best?" the fangirl asked excitedly.

"Huh? Um…that's…I mean…they're all my friends, right?" the brunette laughed a bit awkwardly.

"But which one do you like most as…"

They were interrupted by a knock on the door.

"Oh! Time for your date with Mori! Go, go!" Renge urged her.

Haruhi nodded and opened the door, smiling up at Mori. "I'm ready."

He nodded to her wordlessly and held up a basket. "You didn't eat much at lunch."

"Huh? Ah, I guess I was a little worried about everything that's happening. Not _worried_, but preoccupied, rather…"

Mori nodded and took her hand, looking at her as if to say 'Is this okay?'

She smiled and nodded. "Let's go."

He led her out to a section of the grounds with a willow tree by a small pond and set the basket down, getting out a blanket and spreading it under the shade.

Haruhi was pleased to have something simple like a picnic as a date. It was a beautiful day as well, which made her smile slightly.

The two sat down on the blanket and began to eat, not saying much. Haruhi made a few comments on this and that, to which Mori would think for a moment before nodding or shaking his head.

To most, it would have been awkward, but to Haruhi it was peaceful. Mori was never much of a talker and it was nice that she could have quiet with just him. She knew he was far from anti-social, so it didn't bother her at all.

"Hey, Mori-senpai…" she began, "…do you think that even after this game show is over, I'll still be able to be friends with everyone?"

He tilted his head slightly.

"Well…I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings, but I know that I'll have to choose only one person to win, and that makes it hard. I just…"

She stopped talking when she felt a large warm hand pat her on the head.

"We all care about you," Mori said simply. "This show can't change something like that. You don't need to worry about us. Just think about _your_ feelings for this."

Haruhi blinked in surprise. He wasn't sure if she'd ever heard him say so many words like that before.

But then she smiled. "Yeah. I guess you're right. Thanks, Mori-senpai."

He smiled slightly back at her, patting her one last time.

The rest of their date was spent in quiet, looking up at the clouds, Haruhi telling him about how cloud-watching worked and you tried to see shapes in them.

Then they spent a while pointing shapes out to each other.

Haruhi almost didn't want to go back to the mansion with all the commotion and noisiness, but she knew she didn't have much of a choice since she'd signed a contract to do the show.

She and Mori walked back, holding hands, only to be pulled apart by Tamaki who glomped Haruhi and Honey who glomped Mori out of happiness that they'd returned.

As she half-heartedly pushed Tamaki off of her, Haruhi felt better than she had before. She didn't have to worry about if they'd be friends or not because they all really did care for each other.

As long as they had that, they'd be fine.

"S-so, Mori was civil with you, right?" Tamaki asked her.

"Of course he was, senpai. In fact…I think he really helped me figure something out…I can actually look forward to my dates for tomorrow."

"HE TURNED YOU INTO A VIXEN!" the blond sobbed.

As always, he was ignored and Haruhi, Mori, and Hani went to rejoin the others in the entertainment room.

She realized things could never change too much.

Tamaki would keep being a drama king, Kyoya would keep calculating how to make profits off of anything he could, the twins would still be pranksters, Honey would keep eating cake, Mori would keep being the silent guardian of a man, Kasanoda would keep being sweet in his own way, and Nekozawa would keep to the dark.

The only thing that would possibly change was Haruhi. She realized this. She may grow to care for one of them more than she thought she would.

But only time would tell…

**A/N: So, yeah…It's kinda on the short side, I guess, but this is the chapter. The next chapter will be the next day and the next date.**

**If you don't review, I may not be motivated to update, so review!**


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